

@article {1010,
	title = {Clonal integration of a polyomavirus in human Merkel cell carcinoma.},
	journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
	volume = {319},
	number = {5866},
	year = {2008},
	pages = {1096{\textendash}1100},
	abstract = {<p>Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive human skin cancer that typically affects elderly and immunosuppressed individuals, a feature suggestive of an infectious origin. We studied MCC samples by digital transcriptome subtraction and detected a fusion transcript between a previously undescribed virus T antigen and a human receptor tyrosine phosphatase. Further investigation led to identification and sequence analysis of the 5387-base-pair genome of a previously unknown polyomavirus that we call Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV or MCPyV). MCV sequences were detected in 8 of 10 (80\%) MCC tumors but only 5 of 59 (8\%) control tissues from various body sites and 4 of 25 (16\%) control skin tissues. In six of eight MCV-positive MCCs, viral DNA was integrated within the tumor genome in a clonal pattern, suggesting that MCV infection and integration preceded clonal expansion of the tumor cells. Thus, MCV may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of MCC.</p>
},
	isbn = {1095-9203 (Electronic)$\backslash$n0036-8075 (Linking)},
	issn = {0036-8075},
	doi = {10.1126/science.1152586},
	author = {Feng, Huichen and Shuda, Masahiro and Chang, Yuan and Moore, Patrick S}
}
